Bangladesh: 36 dead, over 300 hurt, several hundred trapped, casualty set to rise

Bangladesh: 36 dead, over 300 hurt, several hundred trapped, casualty set to rise

24th Apr 2013

Daily Star: At least 36 people were killed and over 300 injured in Savar on the outskirts of the capital Wednesday morning when an eight-storied building housing four garment factories collapsed.

With few hundred more believed to be trapped inside, rescuers fear the death toll may rise significantly.

There are at least 36 bodies at Enam Medical College and Hospital in Savar where the injured and dead victims were rushed, our correspondent reported quoting the chief medical officer of the hospital.

Fire fighters and army personnel joined police and volunteers to rescue those trapped under the debris.

Following the collapse, the BNP-led 18-party alliance relaxed their hartal in Savar.

The latest factory disaster came eight years after the collapse of Spectrum Garments in Baipail in Savar that left 64 workers dead.

The building, “Rana Plaza” situated near Savar Bus Stand, collapsed around 8:45am. It had developed several cracks on Tuesday.

The building housed a market, several garment factories and a branch of Brac Bank, reported our correspondents covering the incident.

The traffic movement on Dhaka-Aricha highway has remained suspended since the morning following the building collapse.

So far, nearly 100 people were pulled out of the rubble alive.

Cries for help echoed from under the rubble of the shattered building, Sohel Rana, a local who rescued several people breaking open a backside window, told The Daily Star.

Curious people and relatives of the trapped gather in front of the collapsed building. Photo: Palash KhanAt least 35 people were killed and over 300 injured in Savar on the outskirts of the capital Wednesday morning when an eight-storied building housing four garment factories collapsed.

“We could not yet specify the number of casualties as the rescue operation continues,” Tahmina (full name could not be known immediately), the duty officer and an assistant sub-inspector of Savar Police Station, told The Daily Star over phone immediately after the incident.

It was reported that only the first floor of the building remained intact.

Families and relatives of the victims, who remain missing, gathered in front of the shattered building in tears and most of them were seen wailing fearing the ominous fate of their near and dear ones.

The adjoining atmosphere of the building became heavy and depressive with the cries of injured.

PRAYER

The victims who remain trapped inside the building are officering prayers to Almighty Allah, in apprehension that this day might be last day for them.

The sounds of zikir (begin religious chants) are also coming out from the devastated building.

WATER

The victims who are pinned under debris and choked with cement dust were heard crying for water, said media reports.

SPECTRUM GARMENTS TRAGEDY

On the night of April 11 in 2005, at least 64 workers were killed when the nine-storey building caved in.

The building was reportedly structurally unsound, and not properly designed and was erected on a flood-prone marshland without permission from the authorities.

Over 120 people attended a landmark conference on the media reporting of Islam and Muslims. It was held jointly by The Muslim News and Society of Editors in London on September 15.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence event is to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to society. Over 850 people from diverse background, Muslim and non-Muslim, attended the gala dinner.